I can see why this won a Palme d'Or. It is a cleverly stitched tale of an early 20th Century German village. The characters and setting could really be anywhere at that period in time. There is an omnipotent landowner, and an omnipresent pastor. Sounds familiar....? Wonderfully shot in black and white which adds to the sense of period. The innocence that was shattered throughout the film, if indeed there was innocence, was given a final death knell with the onset of the First World War. It is Art House, but please try it, you won't be disappointed.

A very good, thought provoking film. However it is very long and rather slow moving, and I found the narrator character unconvincing and slightly irritating. Visually it is quite stunning. each scene is like a beautifully composed black-and-white photograph. The period detail is excellent and it gives a fascinating insight into the social mores of early 20th Century Germany. This really is an "art house" movie, so you have been warned!

From a film making point of view this is certainly an interesting piece of work and highly unusual. For example, halfway through the film, I suddenly realised that there is no music soundtrack in the film besides the choir church scenes performed by the actors. It's not light entertainment but definitely worth watching once at least.

I hired this dvd thinking it was in english but it was in german and i was gutted because it looked like a pretty good film..we watched about an hour of it.when i say watched,i mean we read the subtitles.I am sure it is a good film but only for those who could understand the dialogue

Winner of the Palme d'Or, Cannes Film Festival 2009. In an isolated Protestant village in northern Germany, strange accidents occur which gradually take on the character of a punishment ritual. Who is behind it all? Operating at the peak of his considerable artistic powers, master filmmaker Michael Haneke (Funny Games, Hidden) has created a rich, sinister and utterly compelling mystery set during the years immediately prior to World War I.